Alaska Twilight Part 19

"Can I have a brownie sundae?" Brooke settled back in the seat.

Marley started to get into the car, but a figure came das.h.i.+ng from the house. Marley's gaze darted toward the teenage girl. Still no sign of Libby. She could always ditch this girl at the water's edge. She turned her best smile on full wattage. "Hi, I'm Brooke's aunt, Marley. Tank sent me after the two of you."

The girl stopped, and uncertainty replaced the panic on her face. "Tank sent you?" She glanced at Brooke. "Is this your aunt, Brooke?"

Brooke nodded. "She looks just like Mommy." She patted the seat beside her. "We're going to get ice cream, Joy. You can come."

Marley went around the other side of the car and opened the door. "Tank is in a hurry. He already radioed Libby. Get in." With a last doubtful look toward the house, Joy went around the back of the SUV and climbed inside. Marley slammed the door shut behind her and hurried around to the driver's side. She got in and jammed the key home. The engine sputtered but finally fired, and she drove off.

Her thoughts skittered feverishly to her escape plan. She hadn't planned to do this yet, but the opportunity was too good to miss. Tank would a.s.sume Brooke had wandered into the forest and search for her there. By the time he figured out Marley had taken Brooke, they would be far away in New York. She would get a real lawyer who would protect Brooke from a lifetime of being a hick. Lost in her rosy dream, it took a few moments for it to sink in to Marley that the vehicle sounded funny. It surged and began to thump. Had hitting that pothole done something to it? No sooner had the thought formed than the SUV gave a final lurch and a loud rattle, then died in the middle of the muddy lane.

"No!" Marley pounded the steering wheel. "This can't be happening, not now." She turned the key frantically. The engine ground. She tried again, and it coughed to life. A cloud of smoke billowed from the back and from under the hood. It wouldn't make it. Marley's mind raced for an alternative plan. If she could just hide the vehicle somewhere, Tank wouldn't be on to her very quickly. She and the girls could walk to Cook Inlet, where she could get a boat to take her across the bay to Kenai, where she could catch a plane to Canada and on to New York.

"Come on, come on," she muttered as the vehicle crept forward. There. She spied a parting in the spruce just big enough for the old Jeep. She coaxed it into the spot and pulled forward until she could go no farther. The engine gave a final cough and died.

"Get out," she snapped at Joy. Grabbing her purse, Marley scrambled out, then opened the back door and unbuckled Brooke. Marley pulled the little girl out and took her hand.

Brooke tried to pull away. "I want to go home, Aunt Marley."

Marley didn't answer her. She thought the bay was to her left. Surely it wasn't far. She glanced at her shoes. The heels would not be conducive to walking. She dropped Brooke's hand, then took off her shoes and knocked the heels off. Another thought struck her. They'd need insect repellent. The mosquitoes would be vicious. She opened the back. Her father had always insisted her mother carry a backpack of gear for the bush. It was still in the back of the Jeep. She grabbed it and slung it on, then went back and motioned for Joy to follow her. By four o'clock, they should be to the Inlet. Another few hours and they'd be safely aboard a plane headed out of this wretched country.

Tank rode shotgun with Chet driving his SUV. Six other vehicles followed them. Some had bear-hunting dogs. Tank felt sick over what would have to happen today. It would be like seeing his dad shoot the bear when he was a kid. He never got used to it. But this bear was a killer. It had attacked Jed Hoose and had now killed Kipp.

"Don't look so grim. I know you hate it when a bear has to die, but you know as well as I do that this is necessary."

"I know it, but I don't like it."

"I don't imagine Kipp Nowak was too fond of what happened to him either," Chet said dryly.

"I'm sorry about that. He was misguided, but I wouldn't wish his end on anyone."

"Where do we start?"

"At the scene of the attack." Tank rolled his window down and let the fresh air help blow away his disgruntled mood. "The bear will likely hang around for a while. We may get him right off the bat." He glanced at his watch. "It's already going on four. I don't particularly want to be out all night hunting."

"Me neither. Especially with a bear like that lurking out there." Chet turned toward the lake.

They rode in silence. Tank didn't know what Chet was thinking, but he wouldn't want anyone privy to his own thoughts. They strayed way too often to a certain young woman with hair the color of burnished leaves and eyes like smoked honey. He nearly laughed. Who would have thought he could have such a poetic thought? He'd surprised himself a lot lately.

Chet parked beside the lake, and the men got out. The other vehicles parked behind the SUV. Carrying guns and shus.h.i.+ng their barking dogs, they walked purposefully to join Chet and Tank. The dogs sniffed the bloodstains on the ground and began to strain at their leashes. They could smell the bear and knew what they'd been brought here to do.

Tank knelt and looked at the bear prints. Two bears had been here, both with a toe missing. Miki's was likely the smaller set of prints. He motioned to Chet. "Make sure the men know not to follow this set. It was the bigger bear that attacked Kipp."

Chet nodded. "These Miki's?"

"Probably."

Chet waved the men over and gave them their instructions. "Make sure your dogs know which bear we're tracking. We want the big one." Hunters usually weren't allowed to hunt bears with dogs, but it was allowed in special circ.u.mstances like this.

Mort Winters, the leader of the group, nodded grimly. "We'll get this guy before he hurts anyone else."

Tank shouldered his gun and his backpack and followed the baying dogs. He prayed Miki stayed out of the dangerous fray.

"Your pictures are here." Gus thrust a bag full of photos into Haley's hand.

"That was quick. It's only been two days."

"There was an extra plane flying this way, and he brought them in for me."

She peeked into the plastic bag to see it full of picture envelopes. Maybe they would help figure out who had attacked her. She'd have Libby look with her and Augusta.

Libby. Libby had gone to the cabin with Brooke and Joy. Haley had forgotten all about it. Libby knew nothing about the bear's attack on Kipp. She needed to call and tell Libby to stay inside. She thanked Gus and left his temporary store set up in a tent, then took off at a run for the troopers' office as fast as her prosthesis would allow. Bursting in, she asked the volunteer if she could use the radio. The woman made the call, then handed Haley the handset.

No one answered. She was about to give up when Libby's breathless voice came on the line.

"Tank, is that you? You have to come quick!"

"Libby, it's Haley. What's wrong?"

Libby was sobbing in short bursts of pants. "I can't find Brooke. She's gone!" Harsh sobs rattled through the line.

Haley stopped breathing. "What do you mean, gone?" Adrenaline kicked her in the gut. Not again. Please G.o.d, not again. The prayer bubbled to her heart before she could stop it.

"I stepped out back for a minute to water my garden. Brooke didn't sleep well last night, so I thought she could use a nap, though she seldom takes one at her age. When I came in, she was gone. I thought maybe she'd gone to the bathroom, but she wasn't there either. I need Tank! We have to find her!" She burst into a fresh round of sobs.

Haley realized she'd been holding her breath. "What about Joy?" She tried to quell the panic that dulled her thoughts.

Libby put her hand to her mouth. "I forgot about Joy! She's not here either. Could she have taken Brooke for a walk? She was getting some of our things together for me when I went out back."

"I can't believe she'd take her for a walk without telling you. Tank is out looking for the predatory bear. It killed Kipp today. That's what the commotion was about."

"Oh, dear G.o.d, no," Libby moaned. "Be with my Brooke, Jesus."

The blood in her veins was like ice, but Haley knew she didn't have the luxury of falling apart. "Do you have a gun?" Libby was sobbing so hard, Haley couldn't understand the answer. "Libby, calm down, I can't understand you. Do you have a gun?"

"Yes, yes, there are guns here."

"Get a gun, the biggest one you can handle. Keep looking for Brooke. I'll be there as quick as I can." She practically threw the receiver back onto the table. "We've got two missing children," she told the volunteer. "Tank's little girl is missing, and so is my sister Joy."

The woman's eyes widened. "Brooke?" She put her hand to her mouth.

"I need some help."

"Everyone is out looking for the bear. I'll try to raise Chet on the radio. I'll see if I can get some search dogs, too."

"Tell them I'm heading out to the La.s.siter place now." Haley ran for the door.

A cold drizzle fell over the cabin in the clearing. The day darkened in spite of the sun that had to be up there. Haley had begged a truck from the boy behind the reception desk at the hotel. Her gaze swept the dark recesses beneath the wind-whipped spruce branches, but she saw no small forms. The truck slewed sideways in the mud, then came to a stop by the cabin. Haley had the door open and her left leg out before the truck came to a stop.

A blurred form came running from the forest. Tears and mud streaked Libby's face, and her right cheek bore the marks of a recent encounter with a branch. A tiny bead of blood dribbled from the wound. "Haley, thank G.o.d you're here." Libby's chest heaved, and she dropped the rifle in her hand and threw herself against Haley.

They embraced. "Tell me what happened." Rain struck Haley's face and matted her hair.

"I was checking on my garden behind the house. Brooke was napping. At least I thought she was. When I came inside, I peeked into her room to see how she was doing, and she wasn't there. I thought maybe she'd gone to the bathroom, so I checked there. No sign of her. I freaked and ran around the house calling for her. She didn't answer. I found these over by the tree." She held out a doll dressed in a pink sleeper and an empty plastic bag with cookie crumbs inside. "So she has to have been outside."

"And Joy?"

"She was in my bedroom getting me some clean clothes. I was only outside maybe ten minutes."

Haley took the doll. She cupped her mouth to her hand. "Brooke! Joy!" She looked at Libby, who was still sobbing. They had to reach within themselves and find a way to be strong. "Let's fan out and find her." The drizzling rain made the trees seem even darker and more sinister. Haley dug through her pack, then pulled out a compa.s.s. "I've got a compa.s.s. Where have you looked, Libby? Let's do this in a smart way."

Libby seemed to recover her composure. She picked up the gun. "I'll show you where I found the bag."

Haley nodded and followed Libby. The rain wouldn't make things any easier. "A volunteer in Chet's office was going to get some of the search-and-rescue workers to bring their dogs out. There are a few left in town."

Libby pointed. "I found the plastic bag here."

Haley's gaze swept the rain-soaked ground and gra.s.s. An indention in the mud caught her attention, and she knelt to examine it more closely. Bear tracks. "Are these Miki's?" Haley could only hope they didn't belong to the other four-toed bear.

Libby knelt beside her. "I think so."

Haley's gaze went to another mark. It looked like small holes in the ground. "What would cause marks like this?" She brushed away twigs and debris, but still couldn't figure them out, not that she was an expert tracker. "Snake holes?"

"I don't know. There are no snakes in Alaska."

Libby stood and cupped her hands around her mouth, then shouted again for Brooke. Haley turned and stared at the muddy lane that led into the clearing. The tire tracks of the truck she drove overlaid those of another vehicle. Could someone have taken the girls?

Libby looked at the tracks. A frown creased her forehead, and her fingers traced a bulge that swooped out from the imprint of the tire. "How strange. Queenie, Chet's wife, had an old Jeep with a bad tire like that. Chet parked it just before she died. No one has driven it since. I wonder if Marley drove it out here." Her voice held a trace of excitement and hope. She looked back toward the strange holes. "I bet those holes are her heels. She never wears anything but heels."

They looked at one another. "Do you think Marley would have taken her?" Haley asked.

"She knows she can't get custody legally," Libby said slowly.

"Could these be from an earlier time when Queenie drove the vehicle out here?" Haley asked.

"The winter would have obliterated any previous traces. The marks are fresh too. Tank has shown me a little about how to track."

"How could she do something like that? Just waltz in and take Brooke?"

"You don't know Marley. Something like this is just what's she'd do. The doll's right here, so I think Brooke might have been out feeding Miki and dropped it," Libby said. "Marley could have driven up and taken her. And Joy."

Haley gasped and put her hand to her throat. "You let Brooke around the bear?"

"Of course not! I have to watch her like a hawk. When he was a cub, and there was no danger, she often helped Tank bottle-feed him. We've kept her away from him since he got larger." Libby looked down at the tracks. "Marley shouldn't be too hard to track down. Let's follow the tracks out."

"I'll drive. You direct me," Haley said. "Call it in first so they know what we suspect."

Libby nodded. "I'll be right back." She ran to the cabin.

Haley got into the truck and started it. Libby came back a few minutes later. "She hasn't been able to raise Tank and Chet yet, but she'll keep trying," Libby said, hopping in. "The search-and-rescue teams are going to be looking for the truck and will stop to help us when they see it." She ran the window down and leaned out to watch the tire tracks. They turned abruptly into what seemed to be a dead end of spruce and brambles. "Stop here," she ordered.

Haley jammed the brake. Libby opened the door. They both got out and followed the tire tracks into the forest. Thrusting aside a patch of fireweed, Haley pressed through the tangle of vegetation.

A Jeep sat halfway under a tall spruce. Haley hurried to the driver's side and pulled open the door, but the SUV was empty. "Why would Marley abandon the vehicle here?" The keys were still in the ignition. She got in and tried to start it, but it cranked over uselessly. "She must have had engine trouble and ditched it here." She got out and slammed the door, but it did little to vent her frustration.

She and Libby stared at one another. Marley, Joy, and Brooke were wandering the forest with a predatory bear liable to turn up any minute.

Twenty-Two.

Tank wiped rain from his face and stopped to catch his breath. The dogs seemed hot on the trail, though the rain dampened their excited yips.

Chet put his radio away. "The stupid base radio must be acting up again. I can't get through."

"Everyone is here anyway."

"Yeah, but if there's any emergency in town, I won't be able to be reached." Chet stuck the radio back on his belt.

"It will keep." Tank wanted this to be over.

They plodded on in silence for nearly half an hour. Tank's gaze darted from side to side, knowing the bear could be stalking them even as they were stalking it. As he walked, he prayed for G.o.d to keep Miki out of harm's way.

Chet's radio squawked to life. "Finally," he muttered, coming to a halt and holding up his hand to motion Tank to wait. "Gillespie." His shoulders went rigid. "How long ago?" he barked. He listened a few more minutes. "We'll be right there." He looked at Tank, and he swallowed. "Brooke's gone missing. Joy too."

Tank gripped his father-in-law's arm. "What are you saying? Where? When? She's in town with Libby."

"Libby took Brooke and Joy with her to the cabin to get some things. The girls disappeared when Libby was checking on her garden."

Tank's mind stuttered, unable to grasp the magnitude. His gaze swept the forest shrouded in fog and moisture. Brooke couldn't be out here. "We have to find her." He grabbed Chet's arm and hustled him back toward the truck. Tank tried to quell the flash of anger at his sister. His rational mind knew this could have happened while he-or anyone-was watching Brooke. "How long ago?" he asked again.

"About two hours."

"Two hours." She could be at the bottom of a cliff. Or anywhere. The bush's vastness was numbing. Tank increased his speed. Even he was panting by the time they reached the SUV nearly half an hour later. He threw himself behind the wheel and barely waited for Chet to get inside before he floored the accelerator. The tires spun, then grabbed hold in the rocky dirt and roared off.

Haley could hardly sit still. The reality of Brooke and Joy missing in the dark, ominous forest brought back all the hopelessness of listening to her sister's life ebbing away in the dark mine. They had to find the girls. She took her walking stick with her as she traipsed after Libby in the thick underbrush. Her leg ached from the uneven ground, but she pressed on grimly. Her gaze darted from side to side as she scoured the ground for some clue to the missing children and woman. This Marley must be a real nut to have just s.n.a.t.c.hed the girls that way.

Libby had finally stopped crying, but her breath still caught in hiccups. Haley paused to wipe her brow. She brought a package of powdered-sugar donuts out of her pack and handed one to Libby. "You look like you could use some energy."

Libby's touch was hesitant as she reached out and took the treat. "Thanks." She sniffled. "I feel so guilty, Haley. I should have been watching her closer."

"You're a great mother to Brooke," Haley said. "Anyone could see that. It's impossible to watch a child every minute. You'd never get any laundry or housework done. You thought she was sleeping. Every mother does the same thing."